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1. Last year, we had a good time sharing our local strangely named streets. When I heard that a Hollywood intersection was just renamed “Larry King Square,” I started to wonder about other bustling thoroughfares dedicated to people. (I was bored, I guess.) Do any of your area roads double as asphalt tributes to unexpected celebrities?
2. I’m working on a quiz with the straightforward title “Which Book Sold More Copies?” I’ve got 10 or 12 good pairings, but if you have a suggestion for two books that would make a great addition, I’d love to hear it, and will credit you (and, if you have one, your website or blog) on the results page.
Two examples: Living History by Hillary Clinton vs. My Life, by Bill Clinton; The Rules vs. He’s Just Not That Into You.
3. I’ve been doing a whole lot of dog walking this summer, which has me on an audiobook kick. A bunch of you offered up book suggestions in the comments under our summer reading list. Anyone have any audiobook recommendations?
4. As Stacy pointed out on Tuesday, my wife could go into labor at any time. While we’re fairly sure we’re set on names, any last-minute suggestions for girl names would be appreciated. (We don’t know the sex, but if it’s a boy we’ve got it covered.)
Enjoy your weekends!
* * * * *
Shhh…super secret special for blog readers.
Comments (98)
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baby names!
paying tribute to my heritage i always thought the name Rhiannon, like the Fleetwood Mac song was beautiful
posted by Kelly on 7-11-2008 at 12:56 pm
2.
Harry Potter 1 vs. Harry Potter 7.
or
[Some Economy-related Book] vs. Steal this Book
posted by Zach on 7-11-2008 at 12:56 pm
Baby Names!
Rhiannon, like the Fleetwood Mac song
posted by Kelly on 7-11-2008 at 1:01 pm
Oooh baby names. I like this game.
Alexandra
Samantha
Marie/Maria
Anna
Avery
Emerson
Jamie
Julia
Isabella
I might be back with more later. What do I win if you use one? :-) Also, I LOVE that you’re letting it be a surprise!
posted by Katie on 7-11-2008 at 1:06 pm
1. There’s a street here named “Hogan’s Alley”.
2. How about something like Dune vs. Fellowship of the Ring
posted by Benjamin M. Strozykowski on 7-11-2008 at 1:07 pm
Fellowship of the Ring vs. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Great Expectations vs. The Great Gatsby
Catcher in the Rye vs. Of Mice and Men
In Cold Blood vs. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
posted by Codius on 7-11-2008 at 1:14 pm
Jasonita. That was simple.
posted by Miss Cellania on 7-11-2008 at 1:15 pm
1.
1984 v. Brave New World
Any combination of the following series:
Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, Twilight (Blech).
Of Mice and Men v. To Kill a Mockingbird
2.
Dahlia!
posted by Ashley on 7-11-2008 at 1:22 pm
There was a big hubbub in Chicago a few years back about making a stretch of road Hugh Hefner Way.
posted by joe on 7-11-2008 at 1:24 pm
Don’t have two books but how about two authors.
Both are best-selling self-help writers primarily focusing on relationships. Previously married to each other and now divorced.
John Gray (Men are from Mars, Women from Venus) vs. Barbara De Angelis (Are you the one for me?)
posted by Todd S. on 7-11-2008 at 1:25 pm
I work in a planning department for a county. We often require people to name their driveway (when it’s used for more than one house). Some of the names they come up with are just hideous! When they submit the names, we require 4 potentials, which we run through a system to see if they’ve been used. So we always like looking at the 4 bizarre road name choices. Last week, someone submitted:
Ford Way
Chevy Way (was the final decision)
Pontiac Place
Cadillac Way
Someone else submitted names like
Act of Congress Way
Millionaire Way
Landowner’s Rights Way
those were just terrible.
And yesterday, three neighbors came in, and said that the man who developed their lots was a mean a**hole. He’d named the street after himself, and they hated him enough that they wanted to change the name. Their choices included:
Peace Way
Mr. Rogers Lane
Love Thy Neighbor Way
posted by jenny on 7-11-2008 at 1:25 pm
Street names: In Louisville, KY there is Muhammad Ali Blvd (name of course after the boxer) and Dr. W. J. Hodge Street (yes the full name) named after a local civil rights activist.
In Lexington, KY There just a host of streets named after Thoroughbreds, including Man o’ war.
In Cincinnati, there is Pete Rose Way.
Girls names – Lily, Octavia, Olympia
posted by LaDonna on 7-11-2008 at 1:34 pm
Las Vegas, NV Street names for celebrities: Frank Sinatra Drive, Duke Ellington Way, Mel Torme Way. Street names named for hotels that have been imploded: Desert Inn, Sands, Stardust. Hopefully they will remain named for those hotels because it’s confusing when street names change! But the new hotels on the spaces formerly occupied by these old hotels might ask the county commission to change the names of the streets to the new hotels, and they will probably be granted the request. Las Vegas has so many odd-named streets, including an entire neighborhood built in the early 80’s that has the first and last names of astronauts (like Neil Armstrong, for example.)
posted by Peggie on 7-11-2008 at 1:37 pm
I come from the Champaign-Urbana, IL area, as do 80’s “rockers” REO Speedwagon. A few years ago a local street was renamed “REO Speedwagon Way”, in honor of our hometown heroes.
As for baby names, our six-month old daughter is named after Harper Lee, author of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” We’ve found it has become a real litmus test of people when we say her name. They either say: “Oh, that’s different”, or: “As in the author?”, which means we’re probably going to like that person.
posted by SpaceMonkeyX on 7-11-2008 at 1:39 pm
A stretch of Interstate 65 going through Indianapolis is the “Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds Highway” I have no idea if he’s aware of it, when was the last time he was in Indy, or why ‘they’ did it.
posted by Al on 7-11-2008 at 1:42 pm
1. I live in Macon, GA, the hometown of Little Richard. Bordering my undergrad was (is) a Little Richard Penniman Avenue. Not unlikely, but he IS famous.
2. Biography of Paul McCartney vs. biography of John Lennon?
3. I need audiobook recommendations, too. I’m about to move to Seattle from GA, and I’m driving.
4. Babette. See portraitofyomama dot com.
posted by Katie D. on 7-11-2008 at 1:45 pm
I named my daughter Lake Marie. Just listen to John Prine’s song.
posted by karissa on 7-11-2008 at 1:46 pm
I named my daughter Lake Marie. Just listen to John Prine’s song.
posted by karissa on 7-11-2008 at 1:46 pm
And wow, jenny, what a comment! People. I love them and they suck. They are mean and they are funny.
posted by Katie D. on 7-11-2008 at 1:51 pm
Our daughter’s name is London. Its pretty cool because its like Paris Hilton except without the negative media image. Plus you can always find tourist trap junk with her name on it.
posted by Marty on 7-11-2008 at 1:54 pm
I have an almost 2 year old daughter with blue eyes and fiery red head…and a personality to match. I called her Bethany…it was the name of a woman’s shelter near the university where i went. for 12 years i carried that name with me until i had my Bethany.
I never see or hear names that i like but I just finished reading “Atonement” and one of the characters is Briony…I like that name too!!
Recaptcha: ill Joseph
poor guy…hope he feels better soon
posted by Tonya on 7-11-2008 at 1:56 pm
Charlotte
Olivia
Kennedy
Alina
Elle
Maura
posted by KC on 7-11-2008 at 1:57 pm
As for the “Who Sold More Copies” – what about A History of God vs. The Origins of Satan? Just two of the many, many books that I bought but could not quite get around to reading.
I’m a little jealous of “Harper Lee.” Wish I’d thought of that one.
Three little girls at my daughter’s school named Nora.
posted by Ms B on 7-11-2008 at 2:03 pm
If you’re REALLY into Fleetwood Mac, may I recommend Sara Rhiannon, capturing two of Nick’s best songs.
If I’d had a girl, I would have gone with Makenzie….and I alwasy liked when Gomez called his lovely Addams bride “Tish”
posted by Zane on 7-11-2008 at 2:15 pm
Audiobook recommendations-I just listened to the latest John Grisham novel-The Appeal and it was fantastic.
Other audiobooks that I have enjoyed
Assassination Vacation-Sarah Vowell
The Know it All-A J Jacobs
any of the Prey novels-John Sandford
posted by Jordan on 7-11-2008 at 2:17 pm
Alexia
Zoey
posted by Jill Harness on 7-11-2008 at 2:18 pm
Baby name suggestions from a name nerd:
Margaret
Hazel
Iris
Olive
Joanna
Eve
Georgia
Ivy
Alice
Veronica (after the Elvis Costello song, of course)
Norah
Carolina
Josephine
I hope you choose well, there… make
posted by Cat on 7-11-2008 at 2:20 pm
1. Here in KC we have the George Brett Super Highway, which is just an overpass near the stadium.
2. How about The Joy of Cooking v. The Joy of Sex?
4. Girl names: Sadie, Charlotte, Tegan… and grandma names like Dorothy, Frances and Bernadette have a fun appeal for some reason. Lots of nickname options.
posted by caroline on 7-11-2008 at 2:20 pm
Shoot, sorry about the last one. Still getting used to firefox. Here’s my intended full post.
Baby name suggestions from a name nerd:
Margaret
Hazel
Iris
Olive
Joanna
Eve
Georgia
Ivy
Alice
Veronica (after the Elvis Costello song, of course)
I hope you choose well, there… make sure you check the popularity of the name you’re considering. And please, no kr8tiff (”creative”) spellings or boy’s names on a girl! Best of luck to you.
posted by Cat on 7-11-2008 at 2:21 pm
on baby names – i’ve always liked girls’ names derived from boys’ names – like Alexandra and Samantha mentioned above.
how about using recaptcha to name the baby? mine was ‘Must Morgan’
posted by tpal on 7-11-2008 at 2:23 pm
I like girls names with meaning, my 3 daughters have names that mean something I wanted to convey to them. One of my daughters has the middle name Blessing. Sounds corny, but that was my grandmothers maiden name. Which made a wonderfully cool middle name for my kid. It said something about her…and something about us for having her.
Character trait names are a bit cliche, but who cares…nobody is going to regret having a middle name like Courage or Faith or Patience. I think they’re cool.
(I on the other hand was roped with the classic…Ann. sucks.)
posted by Emily on 7-11-2008 at 2:26 pm
Girl’s names:
Amanda
Lydia
Rose
Caterina
Emma
posted by Gina on 7-11-2008 at 2:26 pm
The Joy of Cooking vs. The Joy of Sex?
Good luck with the name game – if it helps, I really really like mine :)
posted by Adrienne on 7-11-2008 at 2:30 pm
1. I live on Coolidge Ave., which is off of McKinley Ave., which touches Wilson Ave….you get the idea.
2. Hamlet vs. Romeo and Juliet
3. I heard The Alchemist was free on iTunes this week.
posted by Cherylita on 7-11-2008 at 2:33 pm
3. Audiobook – Perfume by Patrick Suskind
4. Courtney
Sydney
posted by Alicia on 7-11-2008 at 2:38 pm
1). The town I grew up in incorporated former presidents, flowers and state capitals into the streets. I lived on Roosevelt and Albany for a long time.
2)The whole series of Narnia books vs. the whole series of Lord of the Rings books.
4) Girls Names!!
Zoe
Saphira
Tricia (I’m partial to this one) :)
Grace
Sophie
Also in the spirit of letting reCaptcha name the baby, mine is Olsen. Maybe a Mary-Kate or Ashley direction?
posted by Tricia on 7-11-2008 at 2:43 pm
Some favorite names …
Lily
Claire
Abigail / Abby
Chelsea
Anna
Kate
Grace
posted by Erin on 7-11-2008 at 2:44 pm
I thought of two more girls names:
Keely
Quinn
posted by Tricia on 7-11-2008 at 2:44 pm
Baby names!
Amoriana Rose
posted by Anna on 7-11-2008 at 2:51 pm
I’ve heard the audio versions of the Dresden Files (by Jim Butcher, read by James Marsters) are excellent (though only familiar with the print versions myself)
posted by itunkin on 7-11-2008 at 2:53 pm
I think most people answered 1, 2, & 4, so I’ll stick with #3:
World War Z – Max Brooks (great use of many voices)
Book Thief – Markus Zusak
America (The book) – Jon Stewart/Daily Show writers
Peter and the Starcatchers – Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (or anything read by Jim Dale)
posted by nutmeag on 7-11-2008 at 2:59 pm
3. Audiobooks:
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Both are excellently narrated.
posted by Kelly on 7-11-2008 at 3:01 pm
I’ve known since I was a kid that if I ever have a daughter I want to name her Lily. The middle name has changed several times, but right now I’m settled on Lily Maya. There was a whole family drama incident a few years ago when my sister accused my brother of “stealing” a baby name she had claimed long ago. He ended up with a Meghan and she ended up with a Rachel, which are both lovely names if you ask me.
posted by Mandapanda on 7-11-2008 at 3:02 pm
You can drive through the intersection of Antonio Pkwy and Banderas Way in a city near me.
posted by Kim on 7-11-2008 at 3:12 pm
Book Comparisons: the first Harry Potter and the Bible. “Which one sold more copies” or “which one has been translated into more languages”.
posted by LA on 7-11-2008 at 3:12 pm
I’ve listened to HP & the Half-Blood Prince and HP & the Deathly Hallows on audiobook. Jim Dale is a great reader.
As for a girl’s name, I like Kaitlin Grace, or Katie Grace
posted by bas on 7-11-2008 at 3:13 pm
Oh Fun! Girl names…
Greenlee (it’s a soap opera name)
Harmony (as in Harmony Korine… even though he’s a boy, it’s still a pretty name)
Shiva
Audrey
Francesca
Libby
Olive
Anastasia
posted by Sunny on 7-11-2008 at 3:47 pm
#3: Any book by David Sedaris, read by him. He is great!!
#4. Being a girl with an ambiguous name, I’ve always enjoyed them, for males or females. My mom’s name is Treyce (pronounced Tracy), my dad’s name is Kim (short for Kimmon), and mine is Tyler. I like Ryan and Morgan as well.
posted by tej on 7-11-2008 at 3:48 pm
ok… call me odd… i like harley for a girl… my wife kinda likes it, but she HATES the middle name i want…
harley quinn…
yes i know… but, she can call you mister J instead of dad! it works awesome!
re: colonia yori
posted by shaun on 7-11-2008 at 3:49 pm
My daughter’s name is Novalee Marie. I’ve been told Novalee means “Butterflies in the Meadow”. Marie is for my mother’s and her father’s mother’s middle name. And yes, I know Novalee is in the book/movie “Where the Heart is”. But that did not come into play for naming my daughter. I actually thought the character’s name was Noble Lee!
posted by Jaime on 7-11-2008 at 3:52 pm
Our kid is Jillian Scarlett. I campaigned hard for Minerva June (my paternal grandmother’s name) but was cruelly shot down by someone who campaigned hard for Vladimir (had the kid been a boy). I also campaigned hard for Tzipporah, since it would go well with our last name.
Rachel is a nice name. ;-)
posted by Rachel on 7-11-2008 at 3:58 pm
1. Here in southeastern WI, we have a Les Paul Pkwy, for Les Paul of course.
4. As for names, I may be biased but I love the name Elizabeth…classic and lots of nickname possibilities!! I also have always thought Miles would be a cool name for a girl, if you’re looking for something a little more unique :) good luck!!
posted by Liz on 7-11-2008 at 4:00 pm
I’ve always loved flower names for girls – lily (majesty), ivy (friendship), violet (modesty), rose (beauty), daisy (innocence), flora, iris (message), olive (peace)
as for audiobooks, right now i’m listening to 2 hours of scientific american reports called Eating to Live. It’s about the progression of food and health and pretty easy to listen to in short bursts.
recaptcha: promised portrayal – i love alliteration
posted by nikki on 7-11-2008 at 4:15 pm
1. I grew up in a neighborhood called Wimbledon. The streets were named for winners (Mine was John Newcombe). Unfortunately, since the neighborhood was created in the early 80’s and has no room to grow, there’s no space for a Venus Williams St. or Rafael Nadal Way.
3. I second the Assassination Vacation vote… Listening to it is even better than reading it on paper.
4. My niece is named Anna Camille, which I think is beautiful. (Anna Camille is her full first name; she also has a middle name so that people can’t confuse Camille with her middle name).
posted by Lindsey on 7-11-2008 at 4:32 pm
Homer’s Odyssey vs Virgil’s Aeneid
posted by Amanda on 7-11-2008 at 4:35 pm
1. Part of a highway in is named Tom Osborne Expressway. Osborne was an awesome football coach/congressman/professor/athletic director/demigod in Nebraska. Actually, if you’ve ever met a Nebraska football fan, you know that this isn’t really a surprising naming.
I think my favorite is Rose Blumkin Drive in Omaha, after the founder of Nebraska Furniture Mart. I’d say Rose deserves it, as it’s a pretty sweet store.
3. I don’t have any suggestions, but thank everyone for theirs. I’m moving from Nebraska to New York state, and I’ll be checking out some audiobooks as well.
4. Stay away from anything that a celebrity has recently named their child, and I think you’ll be ok.
I also think Catherine is lovely (thanks mom and dad!)–classy and timeless. However, it doesn’t shorten as well as the Katherine with a K variety. But it’s a nice grown-up name to have.
I like Adrienne’s name too.
posted by kate on 7-11-2008 at 4:45 pm
Hey! Catherine shortens just as well! Cat, Catie, Cate… ;-) Anyways, a few more things, since I’m posting again anyway: don’t trust and baby name book/site! They’re just trying to sell books. In this way, Comeron goes from meaning “crooked nose” to “distinguishing facial feature” and whatnot. And please, avoid filler middle names! Put a crazy name you’d never use in the first name slot there. And, thridly, please, full names. Don’t name her something so juvenile that people won’t take her seriously when she’s grown. (Yep, total name geek)
posted by Cat on 7-11-2008 at 4:56 pm
i’ve always liked the name Julia.
i work at the intersection of Brady St and Kimberly Road. maybe it is just me, but i’ve always thought those were odd names for streets. they are two of Davenport’s major roads too. the other major road is Locust St, that changes names when you cross into Bettendorf and then it becomes Middle Road.
Rock Island and Moline do the same thing, with the same major road (Avenue of the Cities) switching names three or four times as you drive through them. very confusing when i first moved here.
posted by the creature on 7-11-2008 at 5:05 pm
I’ve always been found of the name Marie.
As far as book pairs I think that Clock Work Orange or Catcher in the Rye is good.
posted by Emily S S on 7-11-2008 at 5:07 pm
ooops, i’ve got to proof-read before i hit the enter button.
i meant: Rock Island and Moline DOES the same thing.
sigh
oooh, my recaptcha is Marine walking
sounds peaceful
posted by the creature on 7-11-2008 at 5:09 pm
I humbly suggest my own name.. it will guarantee your potential daughter a place among her fellows on the internet (click my name to see)
posted by Amy on 7-11-2008 at 6:24 pm
since i have a weird name myself, i’ve always had a soft spot for the interesting ones.
i like the latin name: olethia meaning truth or the greek spelling aletheia.
far fetched i kno.
good luck with your choice.
posted by ketsy on 7-11-2008 at 7:02 pm
Elizabeth
Grace
Rachel
Karen
Reagan
Olivia
Ainsley
Rebecca
Bailey
and for some strange reason I like Piper
posted by Karen on 7-11-2008 at 8:22 pm
Best girl name ever
Camryn (or Cameron)
of course, named for the indoor stadium at Duke
We like the -ryn since it gives it a unique feminine spelling. Cameron can be either male or female
posted by Nacho on 7-11-2008 at 8:30 pm
Audiobook:
The Lord of the Rings trilogy as read by Robert Inglis. Awesome! I walk three to five miles a day listening to the adventures of Frodo and Sam. Inglis does all the voices and sings the songs.
Baby names:
As a teacher, I beg you not to name your child anything that is currently “popular”. I had every variation of Katherine (Kate, 2 Katelyns, Katie, Kelsie, & Kayleigh) in a single class last year. Other common and overused names – although very pretty- include; Olivia, Elizabeth and its variations, Grace/Gracie, Abigail/Abby, Emily, Anna, Sarah, Kacie and every possible spelling, Amanda, & Courtney. There are others but these are the most commonly seen in my classes.
We made a rule when choosing names for our child that I couldn’t have had that name in class. Which is how we ended up with Conall for our little boy.
We liked the name Rahne (rain)for a girl but unfortunately our last name is Coats. It would have just been cruel.
captcha:
Elektra- could have possibilities for a girl!
posted by lightlylilly on 7-11-2008 at 8:35 pm
Cori
Devin
Randi
Bobby
Georgia
I love gender neutral names :]
posted by Korin on 7-11-2008 at 8:42 pm
Autiobooks by John Grishem or Dee Henderson are very good on long trips.
Cracker Barrel has books you can get and drop off at a diffrent Cracker Barrell a good selection.
Girl Names
Erin
Susan
Savana
posted by lori on 7-11-2008 at 9:12 pm
1. I grew up on Stoney Batter Rd
other fun ones I’ve run into are Nacirema and Lanoitan (look at them backwards) and Tater Peeler Rd
posted by PartiallyDeflected on 7-11-2008 at 9:42 pm
3. http://www.freeclassicaudiobooks.com
posted by PartiallyDeflected on 7-11-2008 at 10:13 pm
1. I don’t think we have any good street names in my area.
2. I second (third? fourth?) the Joy of Sex vs. Joy of Cooking. Also I’d like to see Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess vs. Martha Stewart’s Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook.
3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer was amazing. I haven’t heard the audio version but I just finished reading it. And I’m going to check iTunes after this for the allegedly free copy of The Alchemist.
4. My daughter’s name is Malia, which I thought was rather uncommon. Now that Barack Obama is in the spotlight, though, it’ll get overused. So I don’t recommend it. I like Jasonita, like Miss Cellania suggested. : )
posted by adrienne on 7-11-2008 at 10:47 pm
It’s already been mentioned, but the Harry Potter books on tape are great. It’s not about the story, it’s about Jim Dale, the guy who reads them. He is good at reading. out loud.
posted by Alex on 7-11-2008 at 11:30 pm
Girls: Pippa, Ivy, Maggie, Lahlia,
If you want an original name DO NOT USE CAITLIN. As many friends of mine have learnt over the last 5 years =D
posted by Caitlin on 7-12-2008 at 12:19 am
Streets – Around the Oklahoma City area we have the Shannon Miller Expressway (part of I-35), James Garner Corridor (Main Street in Norman) & Flaming Lips Alley (in the downtown/entertainment area). If you ask me, the Flaming Lips are certainly deserving of an actual street, not just an alley!
Names – Personally, I want to use the name Assunta (after my aunt) and Sunta for short whenever I have a little girl. One of the girls I work with was going to name their baby Marley (after Bob Marley) if they had a girl, which I think is very cool.
Some of my other favorites:
Amelia
Julia
Elizabeth
Annalee (’The Weight’ by The Band)
Kingsley
Vian
Congrats on the baby and good luck with the naming! (I’m also very happy that you did not find out the sex beforehand, it seems like nobody does that anymore…)
posted by Nicole on 7-12-2008 at 12:35 am
Nicole, I was scrolling through the comments to add mine, when I saw you beat me to the OKC street names! I’d forgotten about James Garner Corridor though.
As far as girl names go, I’ve always been partial to the name Lucy. Name her Lucinda, call her Lucy. My friends make fun of me for this but I do not care.
posted by Suzanne on 7-12-2008 at 2:43 am
These sound really yuppie, but I think they’re cool. Congrats on your upcoming little one!
Delaney
Kendall
Carrington
posted by Jennifer on 7-12-2008 at 6:38 am
In St. John’s, NL, there’s Penny Lane, and just outside the city in Paradise/St. Philips is Moonlight Drive.
posted by Amdela on 7-12-2008 at 8:26 am
Instead of Jasonita, how about Jacinta? It’s a real name. My daughters are Fiona Grace and Natasha Marie (Tasha) names I really love, one Celtic, one Russian, but I also like:
Olivia (too common now)
Bronwyn
Briony
Laetitia (Tish)
Lucie (Lucretia)
They all sound nice with English…
and yes, Adrienne is really pretty.
Recaptcha: Great Rearing
now if that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is!
posted by Mare on 7-12-2008 at 9:59 am
1. everything around me is named after Navy admirals/battles (I’m in Norfolk, VA) . . . except Pleasure House Road. Never been sure about that one.
2. Sexual Behavior in the Human Male vs.
Sexual Behavior in the Human Female
3. Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
(I’ve driven the 10 hours back to my parents house a lot lately and the accompaniment I’ve had it audiobooks. This was my favorite–the reader is Jim Dale.)
4. Layla is what I want to name my first daughter, so I’ll through it out there.
posted by catherine ann on 7-12-2008 at 12:34 pm
There’s a Walt Whitman Rd here.
For a girl’s name, I always loved Emily. If we’re lucky enough to have a girl, she’ll be Emily Rose. :) Also, love Lily and Grace. I like old fashioned names.
- Jess
posted by Jess on 7-12-2008 at 4:04 pm
There’s a Buchanan Avenue in Lancaster, PA. Named so because James Buchanan’s homestead is nearby.
Baby names:
Eva (a personal favorite)
Ella
Miranda (made popular because of Sex and the City, I think, but my sister’s enjoyed the name’s uniqueness for years)
Regan
posted by Sarah on 7-12-2008 at 5:05 pm
Just a name comment for you. I love the name Madeline and am surprised no one’s mentioned it yet. If we’re ever so lucky that will be our choice but we’ll call her Maddy for short. I’m also going to spell it Madelynn because my middle name is Lynn.
posted by Sandy C on 7-12-2008 at 5:27 pm
Audiobooks:
Lolita (narrated by Jeremy Irons)
Lisey’s Story by Stephen King (narrated by Mare Winningham)
The “His Dark Materials” Series by Philip Pullman (Golden Compass, Amber Spyglass…)–excellent audio production with different actors doing all the different voices.
Thunderstruck and Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
posted by bre on 7-12-2008 at 8:11 pm
Oh…and you can’t go wrong with any audio book by David Sedaris.
posted by bre on 7-12-2008 at 8:12 pm
any stephen king audio book actually rocks for me………….as for girls names……i have 3 boys and have been dreaming of a girl so here goes….Annaisabelle
Celeste
Amity
Reese
Devon
my boys have very ordinary names :D
posted by jennifer on 7-12-2008 at 8:56 pm
Girls name. None specific but be certain to run this test: if it can complete the sentence, “Gentlemen, give it up for ____.” you might want to steer clear of it. Conversely, if her name would never sound right in, “This years Nobel prize for physics goes to ____.” then you may want to reconsider.
posted by Jim on 7-12-2008 at 9:28 pm
girl names! so exciting
charlotte
teresa
mallory
meredith
lindsey
diane
margo
heather
myrna
some are a bit peculiar but i happen to like them
posted by katey on 7-13-2008 at 12:38 am
Arggh to Emily and Madeline!
1. You can’t turn your head without meeting an Emily – my daughter knows 5 of them, and she’s only 5 years old.
2. Every librarian on the planet names her kid Madeline.
BTW I know of someone who really did give their child a middle name of “Danger” – as in, “Danger is my middle name!”
wish I’d thought of that, ;-(
posted by Mare on 7-13-2008 at 1:38 am
BTW
I agree with Jim. You have to ask yourself: Callgirl? or Congresswoman?
Also, cutesy or dumb names. I am sick of Kaylee for eg – I mean, they are not going to be “fwee years old!” forever. They will grow up. Do you want them to work as a real estate lawyer, or makin’ cones at the Tastee Freeze until they get knocked up?
Eg. Catherine – good
Starlene – bad
Abigail – good
Nevaeh – bad
How the hell do you pronounce that one anyway????!!!
posted by Mare on 7-13-2008 at 1:44 am
I can’t really help you with baby names. We are struggling with finding names for our own anonymous baby!
I do love the Alexander McCall Smith #1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books read on CD. That woman does a masterful job with voices and accents. It’s a dream to listen to her. There are others that I love to listen to as well, but I can’t think of them at the moment. Books on CD are a treat I can’t afford. Well stocked libraries are a blessing.
posted by Andrea on 7-13-2008 at 1:59 am
Oh, don’t forget about initials either – I have a friend whose parents didn’t think about that and her initials are KGB!
posted by Nicole on 7-13-2008 at 2:46 pm
My name is Starla. It’s from a tv show from the late ’70’s. I rather like it, and I’ve only met one other Starla in my life. Although I have googled myself and found an author/self help guru with that name, so it shouldn’t sound too much like a callgirl :)
posted by Starla on 7-13-2008 at 2:59 pm
Girl’s names:
Lorien
Eva
Lucieprophecy
posted by Denise on 7-13-2008 at 5:25 pm
Sorry about that! The recaptcha was prophecy sowing.
posted by Denise on 7-13-2008 at 5:26 pm
I love the names Michaela and Fiona.
posted by Miss Donner on 7-13-2008 at 6:46 pm
Ronald Reagan Hwy (otherwise known as cross county) in Cincinnati. Also mentioned Pete Rose Way.
Names:
Maria
Eleni
Zoe (means life)
Sophia (means wisdom)
posted by christy on 7-13-2008 at 7:47 pm
Babay names.
I’d like to suggest names you shouldn’t use. It just seems, at least where I live, that too many kids have these names:
Madeline
Madison
Hunter
posted by Brian on 7-14-2008 at 7:43 am
In regards to Vegas, there is also a whole housing tract with streets named after Beatles’ songs, and another one that’s Star Wars related.
posted by Laura on 7-14-2008 at 7:57 am
My little girls’ name is Ryleigh Mierann. She comes mostly from Irish descent.
I also like Jaqueline.
posted by QuinO on 7-14-2008 at 10:18 am